Bengaluru: Want to eat healthy? Grow your own food. Urban farming is catching on like wildfire, with individuals, cooperatives and groups getting together to share knowhow, raw materials and to spread the word. Among these is CityZen Farming Cooperative, a social enterprise founded by Nalini Murthy in 2012. Murthy, who graduated with a Master's degree from the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, learned the ins-and-outs of chemical farming during her years of study.
“It was after college, when I met G. Nammalvar, that I learned what organic farming was about,” she said. Nammalvar, who is perhaps the pioneer of organic farming in Tamil Nadu, is approached by many youngsters who want to adopt this as their way of life and to adopt agriculture as a profession. “Having the chance to work with someone like him helped me realise that this was my new direction,” said Murthy. After that, there was no looking back.
She went on to work with different NGOs and organisations, trying to learn and propagate the principles of organic farming. In 2012, she met Radha Eswar, founder ArtyPlantz. “We found common ground because I want people to grow their own food and she wants people to connect with plants,” she said. Still, Bengaluru is a city, how can people possibly grow their own food? That’s when she met Dr Vishwanath Kadur, the pioneer of terrace farming in the city. “He taught me that there is a huge scope for urban farming. If we can grow up to thirty percent of our daily consumption, that's a big leap.”
Murthy took the first opportunity she got to start her own enterprise. “Radha believes that everyone can and should be an entrepreneur. And that the enterprise should stand for some sort of social concern.” They started out with the idea of setting up a terrace garden at their office space – a task that proved very intensive.
“We took three years to research and understand the right way to do things,” said Murthy. “The garden was set up in 2015. After that, we began sharing our experiences with other people.” They began conducting workshops, reaching into the knowledge bank they had created for themselves during their years of research and study. “We only talked about the things we had researched – how to grow chillies and brinjal, what companion plants to grow alongside one another. The message needed to be spread.”
In Feb 2016, they began another pilot project on a piece of land in Tumakuru. “We are growing vegetables and working out the details of transport and supply as well,” Murthy explained. We want to create a replicable model that will take other interested farmers through the whole process. The 30-odd members of the CityZen Farming Cooperataive also supply vegetables to urban dwellers, selling vegetables, greens and fruits. “It doesn't matter how much space you have. If you have a balcony, grow greens. In a slightly bigger space, you can have tomatoes, too. A one-acre plot will help you provide vegetables to an entire apartment complex.”
Their underlying philosophy is to keep things simple. No part of their method involves expensive or hard-to-procure equipment. “You don't even need to buy seeds. Just save the seeds from the tomatoes you consume everyday. They can be dried and planted.” Any old plastic bucket or even a polythene bag can serve as container, as long as it has a hole to drain out the excess water. Red soil, sand and compost are used in a 1:1:1 ratio. “Again, these things can be bought at your local nursery.”
Growing the first plant will open your eyes to a whole new world, Murthy said, emphatically. “You sow the seed and Nature will teach you the rest.” Greens, for instance, take thirty days to produce a yield, while tomatoes and brinjals take six months. “Involve kids, if you have any,” she added. “Playing with the soil and watering a plant is a lot of fun and a great learning experience. You will find yourself quite addicted to it!”
Cow dung and urine are their “weapons,” as Murthy puts it. Dried and powdered dung is a good fertiliser, while the urine has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, to keep pests at bay. “Spray it on the plants and that should take care of the problem,” she said. “Insects are the first thing people want to know about, but they can be kept away.” Growing tulsi and tomato in the same container, she said, will not only make the tomatoes taste better, but keep insects away. “Marigold plants are a good option because insects are drawn to the yellow colour of the flower.”
The idea is to use simple, locally available products and start small. “Start with about ten containers and plant a different seed every week,” said Murthy. “Once you find yourself getting better at it, you can try new things.”
